World Bank –Technical Assistance Financing Facility – Kosovo “Enhancing National Crisis Preparedness

SELECTION OF CONSULTING FIRMS BY THE WORLD BANK GROUP REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI) Electronic Submissions through WBGeProcure RFx Now ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW

Assignment Title: World Bank –Technical Assistance Financing Facility – Kosovo “Enhancing National Crisis Preparedness

Assignment Countries:

- Kosovo ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION

Country: Kosovo

Assignment Title:

Consulting Services for Strengthening wildfire preparedness and forecasting

1. Background

The World Bank is implementing a technical assistance activity under the Technical Assistance Financing Facility for Disaster Prevention and Preparedness (TAFF) to strengthen national crisis preparedness, wildfire resilience and forecasting in Kosovo. The initiative aligns with national strategies and ensures complementarity to other activities.

2. Objective of the

Assignment This Consultancy will help develop the necessary institutional capacity to improve wildfire information, and EP&R systems in Kosovo through two interlinked activities: (i) undertaking a needs assessment and providing recommendations for improved wildfire preparedness; and (ii) developing a roadmap towards impact-based forecasting of wildfires, including capacity-building activities. This component will strengthen readiness for wildfire response and forecasting under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development (MAFRD)’s mandate in coordination with the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (MESPI), the Kosovo Forestry Agency (KFA), IHMK and EMA. The roadmap towards impact-based forecasting of wildfires will improve stakeholder capacity on forecasting wildfires and enhancing preparedness.

3. Scope of Work

The consultancy will involve, but is not limited to, the following tasks under six phases for Activity (i) and Activity (ii) in parallel, ensuring all work builds upon earlier

TAFF2024 and TAFF2025 analytics:

- Desk

Review & Stakeholder Mapping: Conduct a comprehensive review of

legislation, operational plans, and existing data systems (NFFIS, KFIS) while mapping mandates of relevant institutions (EMA, KFA, IHMK, etc.). - Needs

Assessment & Gap Analysis: Perform a structured diagnostic of the

wildfire EP&R chain, including Incident Command Systems, emergency financing/procurement, firefighting equipment standards, and wildfire/forest fire exposure data quality. - Development

of Recommendations & Roadmaps: Create a roadmap for integrated

wildfire management structured around the "5Rs" (Review, Risk Reduction, Readiness, Response, and Recovery) and for impact-based forecasting.

- Validation:

Organize stakeholder workshops to refine findings and finalize two technical reports (integrated wildfire management, impact-based forecasting). - Capacity

Building: Develop multi-lingual training of trainer materials and deliver

workshops on wildfire exposure mapping and forecasting techniques for technical staff - Final

Package & Event: Consolidate all datasets, metadata, and reports into

a final archive package and host a dissemination event for the Government of Kosovo and the World Bank. FUNDING SOURCE The World Bank Group intends to finance the assignment / services described below under the following: - BETF

ELIGIBILITY

4. Qualification Criteria

Interested consulting firms should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the services. The criteria include: - 5–10 years of cumulative experience in EP&R needs assessments, risk/exposure data, wildfire/forest fire information systems, and DRM governance. - Successful completion of at least three similar projects in Kosovo or comparable regions. - Availability of a multidisciplinary team with expertise in disaster risk management, wildfire management, geospatial data/remote sensing, and institutional capacity building. - Demonstrated experience in developing wildfire training programs, advising government stakeholders on emergency governance, and familiarity with international best practices, methodologies and frameworks (e.g., European Commission Wildfire PRAF). - The firm must be registered in the Republic of Kosovo or be a consortium with at least one partner registered in Kosovo with a strong local presence. The assignment is expected to start in Dec2026/Jan 2027 and will last for 12 months. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS The World Bank Group invites eligible firms to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested firms must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (brochures, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills among staff, etc. for firms; CV and cover letter for individuals). Please note that the total size of all attachments should be less than 5MB. Firms may associate to enhance their qualifications unless otherwise stated in the solicitation documents. Where a group of firms associate to submit an EOI, they must indicate which is the lead firm. If shortlisted, the firm identified in the EOI as the lead firm will be invited to the request for proposal (RFP) phase. Expressions of Interest should be submitted, in English, electronically through WBGeProcure RFx Now NOTES Following this invitation for EOI, a shortlist of qualified firms will be formally invited to submit proposals. Shortlisting and selection will be subject to the availability of funding. Only those firms which have been shortlisted will be invited to participate in the RFP phase. No notification or debrief will be provided to firms which have not been shortlisted. If you encounter technical difficulties while uploading documents, please send an e-mail to the Help Desk at [contact details removed] prior to the submission deadline.

Procurement number: 0002024020. Expressions of interest are submitted through the World Bank Group's eProcure (RFx Now) portal, which requires vendor registration.